Hyatt gun-brandishing incident: Judicial custody of Ashish Pandey extended

Ashish Pandey was caught on cam brandishing a gun during a heated argument with another patron at the hotel.

New Delhi: The judicial custody of Ashish Pandey, son of former BSP MP Rakesh Pandey, was extended on Monday after he did not move a bail application.

Delhi's Patiala House Court extended the judicial custody of Pandey by 14 days because no bail application had been moved by the accused. Pandey had surrendered at the Patiala House Court last Thursday after having gone into hiding with his family.

Pandey said he was forced to go into hiding after a video of him brandishing a gun and hurling abuses at Delhi's Hyatt Regency went viral. While a show cause notice was issued to the hotel for not informing the police, cops took suo moto action against Pandey and a search operation was launched for him. After surrendering though, Pandey attempted to put up some semblance of defence as he tried to justify his actions at the hotel and thereafter. "I took the gun with me for safety. I didn't brandish it. It was hanging behind me all the time. I didn't even address that girl, she pushed me and made obscene hand gestures. I've faith in the judiciary and so I decided to surrender," he said.

It is reported that Pandey got into an argument with a man after the said man went into the ladies restroom to find a woman who had accompanied him. When Pandey's women friends saw the man there, they raised an alarm which sparked the ensuing incident.

A case was registered against Pandey under the Arms Act and details of his arms license were collected with the process of getting it cancelled was initiated.